YOUR VIEWS: Energy prices, a countryside menace and political changes for Inverness?
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
Readers propose talking to Russia, call for action to tackle a poisonous plant and react to the suggestion of an elected mayor for Inverness.
Time to talk in bid to cut our power bills?
I am sure you are as terrified as I am about how I am going to be able to stay warm over the coming winter, so here’s a question for you: don’t you cringe when our glorious leaders and our energy suppliers talk only about the rising cost of energy with absolutely no conscious indication as to when, and if, energy costs will come down.
The politicians’ only solution is to dole out more government money by way of subsidies and to ride the wave of this preposterous and unaffordable energy inflation.
And you and I already know that whatever largesse the exchequer doles out, it will still not be enough!
Like rabbits in the approaching headlights we simply accept astronomical and unaffordable energy as inevitable and without question! Are we all so dumb?
Now, it’s a “no-brainer”: inflation and the out-of-this-world rise in the cost of energy started with the war in Ukraine leading to the complete ostracism of the world’s largest country and its vast resources from the global economy, ergo, in my opinion, if the war would end and if Russia could be rehabilitated (distasteful to some, of course, but not to me!) and if Russian oil and gas and fertiliser could be traded again, then we would surely see a big drop in the price of energy and a consequent easing of the rate of inflation.
Personally it riles me when, every time I put petrol in my car, I think of the tsunami of dollars going to the Gulf Arabs. And that the Greens quietly accept the “green-ness” of shipping LNG across the oceans to the UK while vociferously opposing the exploitation of gas reserves in our own backyard.
The full promised rewards of the renewables projects will still need lots of time and I, like many of you, don’t have time. Simply put, we need affordable gas and we need it urgently.
Winter will soon set in on the Ukraine and yet our foreign secretary goes banging on about getting Russia out of the country, so we keep egging on the Ukrainian government, with vast amounts of costly British weapons, to continue the death and destruction.
We are hell-bent on preventing the partition of Ukraine (inevitable, in my opinion) while doing all we can to support the partition of the island of Ireland. The hypocrisy stinks!
At the risk of loads of egg on their faces, our leaders must somehow swallow their pride, insist on compromise talks with the enemy and let the reconstruction begin.
Moral outrage will not be sufficient to heat my flat this coming winter. I simply can’t afford it and nor can most of you dear readers.
Do I have to freeze while our leaders try to find alternative sources of energy eg from the plutocrats of the Persian Gulf and from other dictatorships? How long will that take?
So join me in telling our government and fellow travellers, including the Americans, to stop the war, resume a dialogue with Russia and bring its vast resources of energy and food back into the mainstream of normal global trading.
And get on with reconstruction instead of more destruction.
Yes, Truss will have to “eat humble pie “ and I would love that, but at least I could look forward to the prospect of cheaper fuel bills and a more comfortable winter.
As for the Greens, well let them wrap themselves up in their blankets and shut up unless, that is, they have a credible plan to reduce my ridiculous bills.
I suspect the only thing I will hear from them will be “cold comfort”.
The cost of this is more than I can bear and that still doesn’t take account of the fortune which we will have to cough up for the rebuilding of what’s left of Ukraine.
Start talking!
Arthur Millwood
West Heather Road
Inverness
Action need to tackle ragwort menace
I am astounded at the local council and their lack of attention over the years to the ragwort invasion, in and around Inverness.
If we as farmers or crofters have this poisonous plant on our land we have to, by law, take action to try and remove it.
We would be visited by the local department officer and threatened with a penalty or fine.
Every part of ragwort plant is highly toxic and if ingested by a dog can be fatal.
It is also highly poisonous to horses, cattle and sheep.
We endeavour on our farm, as do most responsible farmers, to eradicate ragwort, but it is of no surprise that this practice is completely futile given the acres of the stuff along the distributor road and among all the houses and on the road sides throughout Inverness.
The general public are often misled into believing that it poses no risk and that it is a wild flower.
Perhaps if they knew the risks to themselves and their animals their opinions would undoubtedly change.
I would not normally take to proclaiming in our local newspaper, but surely those responsible need to do something about this problem?
Christina Smith
Dunlichity Farm
Should our city have an elected mayor?
Courier columnist David Stewart asked whether it was time for Inverness to have a directly elected mayor to “super-charge” the Highlands and “counteract the overbearing control...of the current Scottish Government.”
“It would be nice if the councillors bothered to do anything in the wards they are elected to serve, small things like making sure public spaces are kept maintained etc would be nice. I feel my vote was totally wasted on my councillor.” – Alan Armitstead
“No! Last thing we need. Money would be better spent elsewhere.” – Richie Cameron
“Aye so long as it’s not anyone who is an elected councillor or MSP or MP.” – Allan Dubh-Shith
Letters should be emailed to newsdesk@hnmedia.co.uk. Please include your address and a daytime telephone number. You can also tweet us @InvCourier or leave a comment on Facebook: @invernesscourier
